The Super Bowl may be over, but here’s how you can get in the game with HON – all year round! “Huddle” up and let’s set the scene…

Monday morning, the clock strikes 8 and your office doors open. You and your team members are suited up for the big day, hoping to make it to the “Super Goal”. But your success depends on the right team, the right strategy and the right tools.

You need an offensive winning lineup of seating to keep you moving forward, each chair playing a different role while working together as a team to be a comprehensive solution for your entire space.

You need to be backed by the strongest, most dependable defensive line in the industry – an unparalleled lifetime warranty.

Your team should practice hard, focusing on Rapid Continuous Improvement and using Voice of the Customer research so you never stop improving.

Play by the rule book of sustainability and uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship, with a HON Ready attitude and an emphasis on corporate responsibility.

Motivate your employees with the flexibility to update your team colors at any time with thousands of fabric and finish options.

Most of all, you need more than fans; you need members who are inspired by practicality and fully invested in helping you grow. When you recruit HON as your office Quarterback, you cheer for the winning team.

Want to “Coordinate” your next play with HON? Visit hon.com today to see how getting in the game with HON can help you reach your goals.

Winter blues got you down? Touring a warm and inviting HON showroom is just what the doctor ordered. With locations in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Muscatine, Iowa you’ll soon be saying, “#Jonas and #Kayla who”?

Located near the iconic Flatiron building and historic Madison Square Park, our New York showroom is filled with natural light and mixed materials – an expression of HON’s strength and authenticity. The bright pops of color and playful accessories are a nod to the building’s early roots as a toy factory. Looking for an opportunity to “play” in this vibrant space? Register for HON Product Training on April 12-13 or HON Product for Designers on April 14-15.

Housed on the 11th floor of the Merchandise Mart – which until recently was the largest commercial building in the world, with its own ZIP code! – our Chicago showroom pairs sophistication with sustainable perfection. The space is transformed on an annual basis for NeoCon and showcases our latest product innovations, as well as a spectacular view of the Chicago River. Planning a trip to the Windy City? Be sure to enroll in HON Product Training on March 8-9, and of course we’d love to see you at NeoCon June 13-15.

Our Washington, D.C. showroom is just a few blocks from the White House, so it’s only natural that it was inspired by the monuments of the nation’s capital…there’s even a “HON Monument”! The welcoming atmosphere showcases a universal workstation concept focused on reliable, collaborative options. Looking forward to enjoying the cherry blossoms on the Tidal Basin? There’s a good chance they will open up just in time for HON Product Training on April 26-27.

Right at home in the HON Headquarters building, our Muscatine showroom interplays history and place with direct, real world examples of effective office design. The century old wood beams and brick walls convey connections to local lumber barons, and are rumored to house a few friendly ghosts! Don’t let that spook you though, they would love to see you at HON Intensive and Competitive Training on May 10-12.

Honestly, much more than what meets the eye. While Muscatine is a town of only 22,000 people, it has a rich history and an intriguing economic background which it still maintains today. Muscatine is home to headquarters and manufacturing facilities of companies, such as HNI Corporation, HON, Allsteel, Heinz, Monsanto, Bridgestone, and Musco Lighting. These industry titans contribute to employment opportunities and economic growth today; however, it was something quite different that put Muscatine on the map many years ago…

“The Pearl of the Mississippi” was the nickname given to Muscatine in the late 1800’s when the McKee Button Factory, locally operated out of Muscatine (and producer of our Abound®Plains Tiles!), was a national leader in the production and supply of decorative pearl buttons. These buttons were harvested out of the Mississippi River. As success ensued in the early 1900’s, Muscatine was dubbed the “Pearl Button Capital of the World”. Interestingly, one of the old button manufacturing buildings has been repurposed and renovated as part of HON Headquarters.

In addition to the well-known companies, some notable figures also have roots deep in Muscatine, including Max Allen Collins, author of graphic novel Road to Perdition. You may have heard of a gentleman by the name of Mark Twain, who spent a stint of his writing career in Muscatine and had this to say about the scenery:

“And I remember Muscatine—still more pleasantly—for its summer sunsets. I have never seen any, on either side of the ocean that equaled them.”

At times, finding an open window of time to meet with an entire project group can be difficult. How can you make the most of your time? Let’s look at a few ways to keep meetings on task and more efficient.

Share ExpectationsIn the meeting invitation, include an agenda and attendee expectations. The agenda gives the attendees an idea of what will be discussed. This allows them to have their thoughts together so they can join into the conversation. Letting attendees know if they need to have anything prepared will make sure everyone is ready to share ideas and keep the meeting rolling.

Set Your SpaceIn preparation for the meeting, ensure the room you reserve meets all of your space requirements. Determine if there is enough seating for all those attending the meeting so you aren’t searching for an extra chair when the meeting should be starting. Make sure the meeting space offers the equipment you need, whether this is a screen and projector or flip chart. Having your space prepared for success will keep the meeting running smoothly.

Get StartedStart on time. The attendees know what time the meeting was scheduled to start. Therefore, it’s important to be respectful of their time, especially if it is just a short window of availability. Begin the meeting at the start time and immediately start covering items on the agenda.

Offer Support MaterialsBring handouts for all attendees if necessary. And if you will be handing something out, make sure you have enough for each attendee. Handouts can be helpful if a large amount of information is presented in a short time to allow the attendees to have a hard copy to review.

Close the LoopRecap the meeting and the follow-up activities. If there are action items coming out of the meeting, it is good practice to send out a follow-up communication summarizing those items. Be sure to include what tasks will be completed by the next meeting and/or specific deadlines.

A few years ago I came across an Inc article that sang praises for the benefits of bringing your dog to work. According to a Virginia Commonwealth University study, workers who brought their dogs with them to work “experienced lower stress levels throughout the work day, reported higher levels of job satisfaction, and had a more positive perception of their employer.” How can you argue with that?!

Below are a few examples of some of our favorite 4-legged friends busy at work. Who else has canines as co-workers? We would love to see your pics!

Even Maslow can’t help but Migrate to Flock.

Bones showing his immense admiration for the unmatched comfort of Nucleus.

Whether you’re an avid basketball fan who knew the starting lineup of every NCAA team, or a novice basketball fan who just caught a game here and there, you most likely noticed that March Madness owned the airwaves over the past few weeks. If you are still unfamiliar with this annual college basketball sensation, look at your social media platform of choice and you’ll see at least one disparaged fan mention their busted bracket.

The March Madness basketball tournament garners excitement in basketball fans and basketball beginners alike. There is an opportunity for workplaces to create this same excitement, energy, and competitive spirit with their own contests or competitions.

Try some of these ideas to pump up the energy in your office while adding an element of friendly competition:

Spring Cleaning Food Drive Contest: Place co-workers in teams and have a contest on who can bring in the most canned food, clothes, or home goods to donate to a local charity

Throwback Thursday: Co-workers wear a throwback clothing item (throwback jersey, band shirt, etc) and the person with the best item wins

March Madness Inspired Contest: Match team members (or teams) up with each other to create friendly competition. Instead of points in a basketball game, they advance to the next round by having the higher chosen workplace performance metric. For example: Your Customer Support team could be based on the number of customer touchpoints, your sales team could have the number of sales calls, etc.

March Madness creates a contagious energy where millions of people are completely engaged in an athletic event. Athletes perform some of the best games of their careers because of the high-energy atmosphere, cheers and fan support. Our workplaces can also perform exceedingly well by increasing the energy and engagement of employees. Think about implementing a fun contest or competition in your workplace to increase employee morale and build group cohesion through teamwork.

What games, contests, or competitions do you implement in your organization?

It’s Monday morning and the amount of projects you have to get done this week or number of meetings you have to attend is paralyzing. Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but there are days you come into work and may not know where to start. This causes you to spin your wheels wasting valuable time. Try some of these strategies to get your projects and tasks organized.

Note reminders – This is a popular way to create a list or reminders of tasks to do. The physical sticky notes are nice to stick to a notebook, on a wall by your desk or even on your computer monitor to serve as an ever-present reminder of things that need to be done. They can be easily removed, added to or, my personal favorite, checked off to show what has been completed. However, in the age of technology, if you prefer not to have sticky notes draped around your workspace, most computers offer note programs that allow you to post a digital sticky note onto your desktop.

Planner or paper calendar –A planner or calendar can be carried with you into a meeting or in your workbag, allowing you to easily access and visualize deadlines or timelines. With a range of sizes to chose from, physical planners and calendars give you ample opportunity to organize important dates.

Email calendar & tasks synced to your phone – An email calendar is a great way to set reminders at specific times when a meeting or task due date are coming up. Additionally, we all are typically carrying our phones with us, so having the ability to sync our calendar straight to our phone gives us the ability to get reminders on the go.

Files for each customer or client you work with – As you work with customers and clients, the information you share with each other grows exponentially. Keeping this information organized can begin to become difficult. To keep this wealth of information organized, create a personal file for each of these customers, both in a file cabinet and digitally. This way when something from a previous project is referenced, you can quickly pull out their file and find what you need.

A final note on organizing tasks; give realistic timeframes. If you look at your sticky note or calendar and see a particular time is busy, express this and work to set a timeline that can be accomplished. At times, you may not be able to adjust a deadline, so work on a priority basis and complete the tasks with the most priority first. However, if there is flexibility, give a realistic timeline, because it’s better to deliver before the deadline than late.

The key to staying organized is to find what works for you and follow it – even if your workstation is covered in neon sticky notes.